John | Book Overview

Overview Article

John wrote his gospel to inspire Christian faith. He had a close relationship with Jesus and provides personal insight about the Lord. John called himself “the disciple Jesus loved.” His gospel is now the church's “beloved gospel.”

Read full article

Key People, Places, and Terms

Themes

Miraculous Signs in the Gospel of John 34 The Gospels use three words to describe Jesus' miraculous works. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Greek word dunamis means "power." It describes an act of raw force that amazes people and makes them realize that God is... The World 29 The book of John often uses the word "world" (Greek kosmos ). In Greek-speaking Jewish thought, kosmos means the heavens and the earth created by God ( Genesis 1 ; see also John 1:3 , 10 ; 17:5 , 24 ). The apostle Joh... John’s Profile of Discipleship 28 In the first half of his Gospel, the apostle John describes various people who show true discipleship (see John 1:19–51 ; 4:1–42 ; 9:1–41 ). Through these examples, John outlines the qualities of a mature follower, or... Misunderstanding in the Gospel of John 18 In John's Gospel, people often misunderstood Jesus (see John 3:4 ; 4:11 , 33 ; 7:35 ; 11:12–13 ). They disagreed about who Jesus was. When they realized what he truly meant, some wanted to arrest him, while others wan... “I Am” Sayings of Jesus 15 In the Gospel of John, Jesus often uses the phrase "I am" (in Greek, the phrase is egō eimi ). Sometimes, Jesus uses this phrase to describe himself. For example, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." The Gospel of Jo... Miracles 14 Miracles often happened in the Bible. They were especially common during the time of Moses and the ministries of Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, and his apostles. The Bible does not try to prove miracles. It just reports them.... The Ascension of Jesus 13 When Jesus went up to heaven, he gave his apostles their final instructions and authority for their work ( Acts 1:6–11 ; Luke 24:45–53 ). This event (the ascension) prepares the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit a... “Belief” in the Gospel of John 12 The theme of "belief" is central in John’s Gospel. John does not use the noun faith found often in the New Testament (for example, see Matthew 8:8–10 ; Mark 11:22 ; Acts 20:21 ; Romans 1:17 ; 3:27 – 31 ; 4:3–5 ; Hebre...

See all (20)

Encounters with Jesus 12 Jesus' miracles and parables (symbolic stories with a special meaning) often take away the focus on his encounters with people that changed their lives. In these encounters, Jesus deals with individuals as they are. H... Our Advocate 12 In the Gospel of John, the Greek word paraklētos refers to the Holy Spirit. This word literally means "called alongside" and describes him as "Advocate" ( John 14:16 , 26 ; 15:26 ; 16:7 ). This term appears in other G... The Son of Man 11 "Son of Man" was Jesus' favorite way to refer to himself. The phrase is unusual in both Greek and English. It translates the Hebrew phrase ben ’adam , which means "human being" or "person" (see, for example, Ezekiel 2... Darkness and Light 10 Darkness means there is no light. There was no light until God commanded it to appear. He then separated light from darkness ( Genesis 1:2 , 4–5 , 18 ). The ninth plague he sent against Egypt was three days of deep da... The Resurrection of the Dead 8 Jesus spoke about a future resurrection for everyone. God will raise up all people to eternal life or to judgment ( Mark 12:26–27 ; John 5:28–29 ; 6:39–40 , 44 , 54 ; 11:25–26 ; see also Luke 20:34–36 ). When Jesus re... Bread from Heaven 8 When the Israelites left Egypt and entered the wilderness, God provided manna. Manna was a substance like bread that God gave them to eat ( Exodus 16 ). The LORD gave them enough food for their daily needs (see Nehemi... The Son of God 7 Jesus' healings, exorcisms (casting out demons), raising the dead, and teachings resulted in wonder, awe, amazement, and fear (for example, Mark 1:22 , 27 ; 4:41 ; 5:15 , 20 , 33 ; 7:37 ; 9:15 ; 10:24 , 26 , 32 ; 12:1... The Messiah 7 The Greek word christos has the same meaning as the Hebrew word mashiakh. It means "anointed one" (or "chosen one"). Both words translate as "Messiah" or "Christ." In the Bible, the Messiah is someone chosen by God fo... The Resurrection of Jesus 6 The Bible clearly describes how Jesus physically rose from the dead through God's power. However, many other explanations have been suggested: Jesus did not actually die. He fainted and later woke up in a cold tomb. S... By Faith 6 Faith is a key theme in Scripture, but many misunderstand it. Some think faith means any kind of spirituality, like saying someone is a "person of faith." Others think it means a strong belief that good things will ha... The Christ Hymn: Christ’s Divine Nature 6 The passage in Philippians 2:6–11 is often called the Christ Hymn. This section reveals what early Christians believed about Jesus Christ. The hymn shows that early Christians believed Jesus existed before his birth o... The Church as God’s Temple 6 The idea of the church as God's temple comes from the Old Testament. The kings David and Solomon received a promise that the temple in Jerusalem would be where God lived among his people (see 2 Samuel 7:12–16 ; 1 King...

Outline

The Word became a human being 1:1–18

The beginning of Jesus' work and service 1:19–21

Jesus teaches in public and performs seven signs 2–11

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

The last week of Jesus’ life 12–19

Jesus is raised from the dead 20–20

20

Jesus spends time with the disciples 21–21

21

Use of the Old Testament in John

17 quotations from 5 Old Testament books

Total quotations 17

Connected books 5

Most-connected book Psalms 9

All References

Search

Group by OT book

John	OT Passage	Compare
John 1:23	Isaiah 40:3	Compare OT Text A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. NT Text a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord
John 2:17	Psalm 69:9	Compare OT Text because zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me. NT Text Zeal for Your house will consume Me
John 6:31	Psalm 78:24	Compare OT Text He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven. NT Text as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven
John 6:45	Isaiah 54:13	Compare OT Text Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity. NT Text And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and
John 10:34	Psalm 82:6	Compare OT Text I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’ NT Text not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods
John 12:13	Psalm 118:26	Compare OT Text Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. NT Text Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord
John 12:15	Zechariah 9:9	Compare OT Text Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. NT Text O Daughter of Zion. See, your King is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey
John 12:38	Isaiah 53:1	Compare OT Text Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? NT Text Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed
John 12:40	Isaiah 6:9–10	Compare OT Text And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” NT Text He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them
John 13:18	Psalm 41:9	Compare OT Text Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. NT Text I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture: ‘The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me
John 15:25	Psalm 35:19	Compare OT Text Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice. NT Text They hated Me without reason
John 15:25	Psalm 69:3	Compare OT Text I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. NT Text They hated Me without reason
John 15:25	Psalm 109:3	Compare OT Text They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. NT Text They hated Me without reason
John 19:24	Psalm 22:18	Compare OT Text They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. NT Text Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the
John 19:36	Exodus 12:46	Compare OT Text It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones. NT Text Not one of His bones will be broken
John 19:36	Numbers 9:12	Compare OT Text they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes. NT Text Not one of His bones will be broken
John 19:37	Zechariah 12:10	Compare OT Text Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. NT Text They will look on the One they have pierced

←John→